Say Goodbye to Asylum Street

For 15 years, the Asylum Street Spankers have explored, twisted, celebrated, and exploded the country, blues, jazz, swing and Tin Pan Alley song forms of the 1920s and 1930s. Born of a busking partnership, the Spankers are known to take their raucous and mesmerizing performances anywhere they go, from Austin streets on up to Broadway. They are performers, hard-nosed musicians, goofy storytellers, and ready to call it a day.

That’s right, after a decade and a half of swinging nostalgia and anachronistic originals, the Asylum Street Spankers are hanging up their hats and putting their feet up on the table. Which normally, I’d find pretty rude, but they do it with such…style, I pretty much forgive them immediately. Besides, that one is giving me the eye and I’m not gonna forego my game over some scuff marks. Ah, this old thing? Picked it up from an estate sale a few years back. Yes, full of character. That’s why I took it home. For a song, darlin’, a whistled chorus. Naw, don’t sweat it. Can I get you another drink?

So while I’m back here mixing–what do you think? an old fashioned? yeah, me too–let me tell you that they’re not quite done. They’ve got one last tour in ’em before they retire the name, and we’re lucky enough to be one of the stops. This Saturday, January 29th, the Spankers will take over the Triple Door for two shows, 7:30 and 10pm. Entitled Spanks for Everything!, the show will touch on songs from throughout their career, and maybe a little taste of the post-spank. I mean, Christina Marrs, the vocalist, co-founder, and soon-to-be-sipper of this delicious concoction–take a little nip, it’s good, yeah?–is working on her solo debut with some of the other cats in that room. The way they keep moving is inspiring.

But I’ve spent too much time back here gabbing. I’ve got spirits to deliver. Catch up with me and them tomorrow, over at the Triple Door.